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Six-Element Triple-Drive FM Antenna
OWNER’S MANUAL — Please read before using this equipment.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Before you begin installation, read this manual and the separate Consumer Product Safety Commission information sheet. For your safety and convenience, plan each step of the installation and purchase the necessary hardware in advance. The hardware required and the order in which you perform the steps depend on the mounting and connection method you choose.
Warning: When you install your antenna, use extreme caution. If the antenna starts to fall, let it go! It could contact overhead power lines. If the antenna touches the power line, contact with the antenna, mast, cable, or guy wires can cause electrocution and death. Call the power company to remove the antenna. Do not attempt to remove it yourself.
Using Coaxial Cable
Lead-In Terminal |
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Spade Terminals |
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Main |
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Strain-Relief Tab |
Boom |
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Flat Washers |
Weather Boot |
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Large |
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Matching |
Wing Nuts |
F-Connector |
Transformer |
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To connect coaxial cable to your antenna:
1.Thread the supplied matching transformer’s spade terminals through the antenna’s strain-relief tab.
ASSEMBLING THE ANTENNA
Assemble the entire antenna on the ground.
1.Use the supplied hardware to loosely attach the supplied mast clamp assembly to the boom, as shown.
Note: To access the mast clamp holes, move the antenna’s elements out of the way as needed.
U-Bolt
Mast Clamp
Boom
Backup Plate |
Lock Nuts |
2. Press the supplied large end plugs into the boom.
CONNECTING LEAD-IN CABLE
TO THE ANTENNA
We recommend RG-6 cable and, if you prepare your own cable, a quality F-connector. You can also use 300-ohm flat, twinlead cable. (RadioShack carries a variety of suitable cables and connectors.)
Note: If you prepare your own coaxial cable, be sure to slide the supplied matching transformer’s weather boot onto the cable before you attach the F-connector.
2.Slide the spade terminals around the antenna’s lead-in terminals (on both sides of the boom), then secure them with the supplied flat washers and large wing nuts.
3.Screw the cable’s F-connector onto the matching transformer.
4.Slip the weather boot over the connection. If you use a rebuilt cable without a weather boot, cover the connection with weather-resistant tape.
Using Twin-Lead Cable
Lead-In Terminal |
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Main |
Strain-Relief Tab |
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Boom |
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Flat Washers |
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Twin-Lead Cable |
Large |
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Wing Nuts |
To connect flat, twin-lead cable to your antenna:
1.Split one end of the twin-lead cable for a length of about 3 inches. Then strip about 1/2 inch of insulation from both leads.
2.Thread the stripped leads through the antenna’s strainrelief tab.
3.Wrap each lead around one of the antenna’s lead-in terminals (on both sides of the boom). Be sure there is enough slack between the strain-relief tab and the antenna terminals to prevent stress on the cable or the terminals.
4.Secure the leads with the supplied flat washers and large wing nuts.
© 1998, 2000 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
RadioShack is a registered trademark used by Tandy Corporation. RadioShack.com is a trademark used by Tandy Corporation.
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UNFOLDING THE ANTENNA’S ELEMENTS
Hold the boom’s elements near the pivot points and pull them away from the boom until they snap into the self-locking plastic support insulators.
Caution: To avoid damage to the elements, do not pull them near their outer ends. Once the elements are locked into position, do not attempt to unlock them. Doing so might break the self-locking tabs.
ATTACHING TO THE MAST
For the best FM reception, do not mount the FM antenna on the same mast with a TV antenna. We recommend that you enlist the help of another person before you put up the mast or attach your antenna to it. How you set up your mast depends on your specific installation. Refer to the separate Consumer Product Safety Commission information sheet for recommended methods.
1.Slide the antenna’s mast clamp assembly over the end of the mast.
2.Tighten the mast clamp assembly’s lock nuts to hold the antenna in place. Do not overtighten the lock nuts.
3.Set up the mast, then rotate it so the antenna’s shorter elements point toward the broadcast antennas of the stations you want to receive.
Short Elements
ROUTING THE CABLE TO YOUR FM RECEIVER
If you use coaxial cable:
•Use plastic tape or mast standoff insulators to secure the coaxial cable to the mast at about 3-foot intervals. Continue down the roof and the side of the house using roof and wall standoff insulators.
•Use coaxial cable nail-in clips every few feet to secure the cable between the mast and where the cable enters the house.
•Use a 75-ohm grounding block at the point where the coaxial cable enters the house. Read the Consumer Product Safety Commission sheet for grounding instructions.
•Use a wall-through lead-in tube (not supplied) to neatly route the coaxial cable through walls.
If you use twin-lead cable:
•Be sure the twin-lead cable remains at least 4 inches away from all metal surfaces.
•Use standoff insulators about every 4 feet. Twist the twinlead cable about three turns between standoff insulators.
•Read the separate Consumer Product Safety Commission sheet for grounding instructions.
Toward FM
Stations’
Antennas
Mast |
Long Element |
CONNECTING TO YOUR FM RECEIVER
Connect the antenna’s lead-in cable to your FM receiver’s antenna terminals according to the type of cable you used. RadioShack carries a variety of matching transformers, if one of these suits your needs. Below are some sample connections.
Make connections as described if you have:
•Coaxial antenna lead-in
•Twin-lead FM antenna terminals
Connect to FM Receiver’s 300-Ohm Screw Terminals
RadioShack
Indoor/Outdoor
Matching Transformer
Cat. No. 15-1140
Connect
Coaxial Lead-In
from Antenna
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